"Boom!"
A loud sound signaled the collapse of a Multiple Shadow Clone as its chakra ran out.
Lying on the bed with his eyes closed, Akaba suddenly felt a wave of chaotic thoughts and intense exhaustion flood his mind.
In that instant, he almost dozed off—it was that bad.
"Good thing I split my clones one after another. If I'd made two or three at once like Naruto, I might already be unconscious right now."
Akaba inwardly sighed in relief while simultaneously feeling a sense of sadness.
The main character always gets it easy, especially with Asura's chakra reborn inside him. People like myself, who've got it rough, can only do this bit by bit.
"Akaba, Father is back."
Just as he was sighing bitterly, Sakuma Chiaki's voice came from downstairs. It was clear that Chiaki was in a good mood—probably because he'd successfully completed his task.
"You keep going for now. I'm heading downstairs to check on our manga shop."
Akaba stood up and said to his Multiple Shadow Clone.
Even though comforting another version of yourself wasn't necessary, sometimes even tools needed a little encouragement.
"Hmph, you're just more annoying here. Better leave sooner than later."
Akaba couldn't help but feel exasperated.
These clones were getting worse—one after another, not cute at all.
Well, they were all himself anyway; nothing worth dwelling over. He trudged downstairs and found Chiaki holding a sheet of paper.
"This is the deed to that store. Starting today, it belongs to you."
Was the shop formerly owned by Nara Loe already secured?
Akaba was slightly surprised. That fast? The Sakuma clan really worked efficiently!
He quickly stepped forward and took the deed from Chiaki. The address of the store was written clearly at the top, and beneath it was the unique Ninjutsu Seal Mark of the Sakuma clan.
"Just one seal mark does the trick. How convenient ninja techniques can be."
Akaba looked it over and confirmed—it was indeed the deed to that shop. Now it officially belonged to the Sakuma clan.
Well… but eventually it would be his!
As the current sole genius of this generation possessing a Kekkei Genkai, the future of the Sakuma clan rested in his hands. But thinking about it made his head spin—he had zero interest in becoming Clan Leader.
Shaking off those thoughts, Akaba focused on the matter at hand.
"Father, please ask the clan to help me renovate the store. I'll draw the plans myself."
This building used to serve as the Nara clan's herb distribution center and pharmacy—it wouldn't do to keep the previous interior design.
"Setting up a manga shop is fine, but son, I hope you can focus more on your jutsu practice. Don't waste your talent."
Sakuma Chiaki naturally had no objection. Since the shop had already been bought, who would begrudge a little renovation cost?
Still, he hoped Akaba wouldn't pour too much energy into comics. After all, strength ruled the ninja world. Akaba possessed a Kekkei Genkai and an extraordinary gift for genjutsu—in Chiaki's view, he shouldn't squander his potential on such side projects.
"Don't worry, Father. I won't neglect my ninja training."
Akaba knew what mattered. Through the system, he could exchange points for jutsu skills—including ninjutsu and genjutsu. All he needed was Points.
Relying solely on promotion wasn't efficient enough—opening a manga shop was just his first step.
As long as he built up a fanbase for the manga, points would come rolling in effortlessly—how could he not master Ninjutsu then?
Akaba returned upstairs intending to sketch out a scene set in his manga, but had barely picked up his pen when he heard a faint sound outside the window.
"Who's there?"
Akaba and his shadow clone both grew alert, eyes fixed on the outside.
Then someone tapped on the windowpane, followed by a melodious voice from outside: "It's me. Hurry up and open the window."
Tsunade?
Speechless for a moment, Akaba got up and opened the window.
The moment he did, he saw Tsunade hanging upside-down from the eaves, her hand just reaching the window.
Viewed from his angle below, he couldn't help seeing straight up her line of sight.
"Where do you think you're looking?!"
Tsunade quickly jumped down and leapt through the window into the room.
Faced with this accusation, Akaba was at a loss for words—who else could be blamed? After all, she was the one hanging like a bat from the eaves in broad daylight! Besides, from his lower vantage point, he could even see her stomach; there really wasn't much worth appreciating anyway. Still, being flat was a sensitive topic for Tsunade—one only dared speak of it if seeking death, which is why no one except the suicidal Jiraiya ever dared mention that word in front of her.
"You didn't use the front door, coming through the window instead. What do you want with me?"
Akaba replied unhappily before sitting back down.
Tsunade teased with a grin, "Didn't you see me standing on the eaves just now?"
"Oh right, how truly amazing for you."
No wonder she skipped using the front door in favor of entering through the window—just to show off having completed the Tree-climbing and Water-walking Drills?
Tch, still such a child.
Thinking this, Akaba sat down again, ready to continue drawing.
"Hey, what's with that face? I came specially to hang out with you after finishing my training, okay?!"
Tsunade carelessly sat down, first glancing at the manga-illustrating tool working diligently, then at the pile of sketchpads beside him, instantly growing excited and sitting properly.
One page, two pages...
She had completely fallen for manga already. The way she counted the manuscripts now looked exactly like someone counting money.
"Wah, you actually worked so hard today—you've drawn so many yourself!"
There were easily enough drawings here for half a chapter. Combined with those completed earlier in class, Chapter 4 was already finished.
"That's right. I am a very diligent person."
Akaba replied cheerfully unashamed.
He had forgotten, though, that his clone was still sitting beside him. Immediately upon hearing this, the clone snorted sarcastically, "Have some decency. Those were drawn by my original self. What have you got to do with them?"
"No wonder—so you're the lazybones behind all this."
Tsunade hugged the papers and started reading while sitting on the floor, holding a whole stack of drafts—an exclusive treat most people never get to see.
Akaba chose to ignore the jab aimed at the workhorse and picked up his pencil to start drawing again.
Tsunade stayed nearby, quiet and cute.
With each stroke, the outline of a small shop began to take form—soon it became clearly visible.
While contemplating interior design styles, Akaba casually asked, "Did you come over just to brag about completing your training?"
"Of course not! Do I look like such an immature and boring person?"
Tsunade set aside the manuscript she had been halfway through reading, stretched her limbs, and said, "I just stopped by Uncle Sarutobi's place. Guess what I saw?"
"The distribution list."
Akaba replied flatly.
Although the Senju clan had largely withdrawn from active governance of Konoha, Tsunade, as the Hidden Leaf's beloved princess, remained a favorite among the villagers. It wasn't surprising at all that she could flip through the distribution list in the Third's office.
Tsunade fell silent for a moment before muttering unhappily after a few seconds, "You're no fun. You guessed it right away."
"You and Orochimaru will probably be personally trained by the Third, right?"
While painting the wall, Akaba replied.
"Yeah, and that idiot Jiraiya too!"
At the mention of Jiraiya, Tsunade clenched her teeth furiously, imagining how much she wanted to rip him apart. As she flipped through a few pages of manga, she suddenly realized, "Hey, you distracted me! I lost track of what I was saying. What I meant was — I saw your assignment list."
"Oh?"
"Your mentor is very strong, but his personality might differ greatly from Uncle Sarutobi's. Be mentally prepared."
Tsunade spoke with a serious tone.
The brush paused in Akaba's hand. After looking at her thoughtfully for a moment, he couldn't help but inhale sharply and murmured, "Is it Danzo?"
Tsunade nodded.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!